A Bradner man has been sentenced for the sexual battery of two young children.
Michael Stultz, 34, appeared Monday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Molly Mack.
Defense attorney Scott Coon filed a motion Friday to request sentencing be delayed to allow his client to have surgery to remove a rod in his ankle which was causing pain.
Surgery was scheduled for Wednesday,
Wood County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Pamela Gross objected and said the timing was suspicious.
He’s been a patient since 2020, his most recent appointment was in February and sentencing was set in May, she said.
And now all of a sudden, his pain is so bad he needs surgery, she said.
“I simply feel this is a delay tactic and we object,” Gross said.
Mack agreed and continued with sentencing.
A jury was in the process of being selected May 7 when Stultz entered pleas of guilty to gross sexual imposition as indicted and three amended counts of sexual battery, all third-degree felonies.
He had been indicted in January 2023 for three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies.
From March 20, 2020, to Oct. 3, 2022, he had sexual contact with two children whose ages ranged from 10-14 during that time.
Coon said Stultz’s wife plans to stand beside him “through these trying times”
Mack denied Coon’s request to allow family members to step forward and speak on behalf of the defendant.
Coon asked for one sentence each for the two victims to be served consecutively with the remaining two charges be served concurrently.
Gross asked for five years in prison on each charge to be served consecutively for a total of 20 years
She said Stultz sexually molested two young girls and if one had not come forward, it would still be going on.
He crawled into bed with one girl, who pretended to be asleep then texted her mother once he left the room, Gross said.
Stultz has shown no remorse and has focused on “me, me, me. You’re going to take me away from my wife, my children,” Gross said.
He says he has community support, “but he is a child rapist,” she said.
“My actions have caused you pain and suffering,” Stultz said, addressing the victims.
He said he took full responsibility for his actions and has been working on his behavior.
“These efforts have helped me (gain) a greater understanding of myself,” he said.
He said he carried the weight of what he did every day and was committed to making amends.
“I am doing everything in my power to become a better person,” he said.
Mack said Stultz indicated he thought alcohol and his medical issues were the root of the problem, but “that doesn’t make people prey on children.”
She imposed 48 months in prison for each charge to be served consecutively for a total of 16 years.
Upon his release from prison, Stultz will have to register as a Tier III sex offender, which will require him to register every 90 days for life.
He plans to appeal the sentence.
